Express Entry guide hub
Plain-language guides, from ITA to eCOPR.
Your starting point for understanding Express Entry — what it is, how it works, and what each stream means for your path to Canada.
Visiting Canada
2 guidesShort visits and long family stays. These let you spend time in Canada, but they are not a PR pathway on their own.
VisitorVisiting Canada: TRV, eTA, and Entry RequirementsMost visitors need either a visitor visa or an eTA, can usually stay up to six months, and can apply to extend before that time runs out.Reviewed Jul 22, 2026Super VisaParents and Grandparents Super VisaA Super Visa lets your parents or grandparents stay with you for years at a time, and the income proof and medical insurance are what make or break the application.Reviewed Jul 22, 2026
Studying & working in Canada
4 guidesOften where the journey begins. Temporary study and work status builds the experience, and the bridge, that can lead to permanent residence.
Study PermitStudy Permit: Studying in Canada as an International StudentA study permit is a genuine first step toward PR, and the post-graduation work permit is the bridge that turns your studies into Express Entry experience.Reviewed Jul 22, 2026Work PermitWork Permits: LMIA, LMIA-Exempt, and Open PermitsCanadian work permits come down to two questions: who you are allowed to work for, and whether your employer needs an LMIA.Reviewed Jul 22, 2026BOWPBridging Open Work Permit (BOWP)A Bridging Open Work Permit lets you keep working through the gap between your permit expiring and your PR decision, as long as you apply before it lapses and stay in Canada.Reviewed Jul 22, 2026SOWPSpousal Open Work Permit (SOWP)A family open work permit can let you work alongside your partner, but the rules narrowed in 2025, so what matters is which of the three remaining doors fits you.Reviewed Jul 22, 2026
Permanent residency
24 guidesThe economic and family routes to permanent residence, from Express Entry and its streams to sponsoring the people you love.
Economic pathways
CRS CalculatorEstimate your CRS scoreAn interactive calculator that mirrors the official IRCC points grid, section by section.Live toolGetting startedHow Express Entry worksThe Express Entry journey from creating a profile to landing as a permanent resident, in plain language.Reviewed Jul 22, 2026 · ~6 moEligibilityWho qualifies for Express EntryEligibility for Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, Skilled Trades, and PNP, in plain language.Canadian Experience ClassCanadian Experience Class (CEC)The Express Entry program built for people who have already gained skilled work experience inside Canada.Reviewed Jul 22, 2026 · ~6 moHealthcare WorkersHealthcare streamHow healthcare and social services workers enter the Express Entry pool and why IRCC runs dedicated category-based draws for this group.Reviewed Jul 22, 2026Skilled TradesTrades streamHow skilled trades workers qualify for Express Entry through the Federal Skilled Trades Program and through category-based draws targeting trades occupations.Reviewed Jul 22, 2026French-LanguageFrench-language proficiency streamHow candidates with strong French skills qualify for dedicated Express Entry draws through category-based selection.Reviewed Jul 22, 2026Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)Provincial Nominee Program (PNP): Express Entry-aligned streamsHow a provincial nomination through an Express Entry-linked stream adds 600 CRS points and virtually guarantees an Invitation to Apply.Reviewed Jul 22, 2026 · ~7 moEducation WorkersEducation streamHow workers in education occupations qualify for Express Entry category-based draws targeting teachers and related education professionals.Reviewed Jul 22, 2026
Provincial Nominee Program
OverviewProvincial Nominee Programs (PNP): the base immigration streamsHow base Provincial Nominee Program streams work, how they differ from the Express Entry-aligned PNP path, and where to find your province.Reviewed Aug 10, 2026AlbertaAlberta's Provincial Nominee Program: the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP)Alberta's AAIP runs eight active streams — seven base streams for workers and entrepreneurs who apply directly to the province, plus one Express Entry-aligned stream with four sector pathways that adds 600 CRS points to a federal profile.Reviewed Aug 10, 2026British ColumbiaBritish Columbia's Provincial Nominee Program: the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP)British Columbia's BC PNP runs eight active streams — Skilled Worker and Health Authority (each with a base and an Express Entry BC-aligned version), three Entrepreneur Immigration streams (Base, Regional, Strategic Projects), and the temporary Rural/Remote Health Support Initiative — screening for job offers from BC employers, business investment and management experience, or a time-limited health-support pilot for support staff in rural and remote communities.Reviewed Aug 10, 2026ManitobaManitoba's Provincial Nominee Program: the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP)Manitoba runs three active base streams — Skilled Worker, International Education, and Business Investor — applied to directly through the MPNP's two-stage Expression of Interest (EOI) process: a 100-point self-assessment eligibility worksheet with a minimum of 60 points, followed by ranking on a separate 1,000-point EOI grid for draws, with no Express Entry profile required (though nominees who hold one can still link it for 600 CRS points).Reviewed Aug 10, 2026New BrunswickNew Brunswick's Provincial Nominee Program: the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP)New Brunswick's PNP currently runs six active pathways — five base streams (Skilled Worker, Strategic Initiative, Business Immigration, the Critical Worker Pilot, and the Private Career College Graduate Pilot Program) plus one Express Entry-aligned stream — spanning job-offer-driven skilled workers, Francophone connections, entrepreneurs, employer-sponsored critical workers, career-college graduates, and Express Entry candidates seeking a 600-point CRS boost.Reviewed Aug 10, 2026Newfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland and Labrador's Provincial Nominee Program: the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP)The NLPNP runs five active streams — four base streams (Skilled Worker, International Graduate, International Entrepreneur, and International Graduate Entrepreneur) that nominate directly to the province, plus one Express Entry-aligned stream (Express Entry Skilled Worker) that adds 600 CRS points to a federal profile — screening candidates on a qualifying NL job offer, in-province education, or a qualifying local business investment.Reviewed Aug 10, 2026Northwest TerritoriesNorthwest Territories's Provincial Nominee Program: the Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP)The Northwest Territories Nominee Program runs five active streams — Skilled Worker, NWT Express Entry, Entry Level/Semi-Skilled Occupations, Francophone, and Business — four of them base pathways built around an NWT job offer or business investment, plus one Express Entry-aligned pathway that adds 600 CRS points to an existing federal profile.Reviewed Aug 10, 2026Nova ScotiaNova Scotia's Provincial Nominee Program: the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP)A look at the NSNP's four active streams — three base streams and one Express Entry-aligned — and what each is looking for.Reviewed Aug 10, 2026OntarioOntario's Provincial Nominee Program: the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)Since a 2026 redesign, Ontario runs one active OINP stream, the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, which nominates skilled workers with a qualifying Ontario job offer (or self-employed physicians without one) either as a base provincial nomination or, for Express Entry-eligible candidates, an Express Entry-aligned nomination worth 600 CRS points.Reviewed Aug 10, 2026Prince Edward IslandPrince Edward Island's Provincial Nominee Program: the PEI Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP)PEI PNP runs seven active streams: one Express Entry-aligned stream that adds Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points to a federal profile, five base Labour Impact streams built around a PEI job offer, and one base Business Impact stream for entrepreneurs who invest in and manage a PEI business.Reviewed Aug 10, 2026SaskatchewanSaskatchewan's Provincial Nominee Program: the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP)The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) runs four active streams across two categories — International Skilled Worker and Saskatchewan Experience — three base streams you apply to directly and one Express Entry-aligned stream that adds 600 CRS points, each looking for candidates whose occupation, job offer, or Saskatchewan work history matches the province's labour market needs.Reviewed Aug 10, 2026YukonYukon's Provincial Nominee Program: the Yukon Nominee Program (YNP)Yukon runs four active nomination streams — one Express Entry-aligned (Yukon Express Entry) and three base streams (Skilled Worker, Critical Impact Worker, and the Yukon Business Nominee Program) — each looking for a Yukon job offer or a qualifying business investment.Reviewed Aug 10, 2026
Family sponsorship
Spousal · InlandSpousal Sponsorship (Inland)If your spouse or partner is already living in Canada with you, inland sponsorship lets them apply for permanent residence from here, and they can usually work while they wait.Reviewed Jul 22, 2026 · ~26 moSpousal · OutlandSpousal Sponsorship (Outland)If your spouse or partner is outside Canada, outland sponsorship lets them apply for permanent residence from abroad, with freer travel during the wait and a right to appeal a refusal.Reviewed Jul 22, 2026 · ~18 moParents & GrandparentsParents & Grandparents Program (PGP)The PGP is Canada's family-class permanent residence pathway for parents and grandparents of citizens and PRs, accessed through a randomized intake with limited annual spots.Reviewed Jul 22, 2026 · ~28 mo
Citizenship
2 guidesThe final step, once you have held permanent residence long enough, plus the terms you will meet along the way.
ReferenceExpress Entry glossaryThe abbreviations and terms you will meet on the Express Entry journey, decoded.CitizenshipCanadian Citizenship: Requirements, Timeline, and the OathCitizenship comes down to being physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days in the five years before you apply, plus taxes, basic language, and a short test.Reviewed Jul 22, 2026
These guides are here to help you understand the process, not to replace legal advice. The processing-time figures update live from the Processing times